Adaptive vehicle monitoring system

1. A vehicle monitoring system for adaptively accessing information in an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle under test, in a manner to avoid vehicle malfunctions associated with accessing the information, the system comprising: a) a handholdable data acquisition device communicable with the ECU of the vehicle under test for accessing and retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle under test and operative to generate linking queries to the ECU in a plurality of protocols, to identify a vehicle under test information request protocol; b) a memory unit having information stored therein including: 1) a listing of vehicles known to malfunction in response to receipt of a service mode request; 2) a listing of selective characteristic features information associated with each listed vehicle; 3) an information request protocol associated with each listed vehicle; and 4) a listing of one or more specific service mode requests associated with a malfunction of each listed vehicle; the memory unit being addressable by a processor unit in the data acquisition device to identify listed vehicles that are associated with the vehicle under test information request protocol; c) the data acquisition device further being operative to selectively communicate at least one service mode request to the ECU, in the vehicle under test information request protocol, excluding each service mode request that is associated with an identified listed vehicle; d) the data acquisition device further being operative to receive information from the ECU, in response to the at least one service mode request being communicated to the ECU, and extract therefrom vehicle characteristic features information, identifying characteristic features of the vehicle under test; and e) the data acquisition device further being operative to compare the extracted characteristic features information to the selective characteristic features information associated with each of the identified listed vehicles, to determine if the vehicle under test and any of the identified listed vehicles have common characteristics features; f) wherein, when the vehicle under test has no characteristics features in common with any of the identified listed vehicles, the data acquisition device is further operative to communicate each previously excluded service mode request to the vehicle under test.

2. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein, when the vehicle under test and at least one of the identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the data acquisition device is further operative to communicate at least one additional service mode request to the vehicle under test, excluding any service mode request associated with the at least one of the identified listed vehicles.

3. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 2 wherein, when the vehicle under test and a plurality of the identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the data acquisition device is further operative to determine which of the plurality of identified listed vehicles has the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test, and to communicate additional service mode requests to the vehicle under test, excluding service mode requests associated with the identified listed vehicle having the greatest number of characteristics features in common with the vehicle under test.

4. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor unit is communicable with the memory unit to identify any listed vehicle subject to malfunction in response to service mode requests under the identified protocol, and characteristics features associated with any identified listed vehicle.

5. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the data acquisition device is connectable to a data port of the vehicle under test.

6. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the data acquisition device is wirelessly communicable with the ECU.

7. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory unit is disposed within the data acquisition device.

8. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 1 wherein the memory unit is remotely located from the data acquisition device.

9. The vehicle monitoring system as recited in claim 8 wherein the data acquisition device is connectable to a global computer network for transferring information to a location remote from the data acquisition device.

10. A method of accessing information in an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle under test, in a manner to avoid vehicle malfunctions associated with accessing the information in the ECU, the method comprising: a) communicating a plurality of linking queries from a handheld data acquisition device to the ECU, in a plurality of protocols, to identify a vehicle under test information request protocol; b) storing, in a memory unit, information including: 1) a listing of vehicles known to malfunction in response to receipt of a service mode request; 2) selective characteristic features information associated with each listed vehicle; 3) an information request protocol associated with each listed vehicle; and 4) a listing of at least one service mode request associated with the malfunction of each listed vehicle; the memory unit being addressable to identify listed vehicles that are associated with the vehicle under test information request protocol; and identifying listed vehicles that are associated with the vehicle under test information request protocol; c) communicating at least one service mode request to the ECU, in the vehicle under test information protocol, excluding each service mode request that is associated with an identified listed vehicle; d) receiving information from the ECU, in response to the at least one service mode request, and extracting therefrom vehicle characteristic features information identifying characteristic features of the vehicle under test; e) comparing the extracted characteristic features information to the selective characteristic features information associated with each of the identified listed vehicles to determine if the vehicle under test and any of the identified listed vehicles have common characteristics features; f) wherein, when the vehicle under test and at least one of the identified listed vehicles have no common characteristic features in common, communicating each of the one or more previously excluded service mode requests to the vehicle under test.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein, when the vehicle under test and at least one of the identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: g) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle, excluding any one or more service mode requests associated with the at least one of the identified listed vehicles.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the memory unit further includes a listing of one or more service mode request portions associated with a malfunction of any of the listed vehicles, and wherein, when the vehicle under test and at least one of the identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: h) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle, excluding any one or more service mode request portions associated with the at least one of the identified listed vehicles.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein, when the vehicle under test and a plurality of identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: i) determining which of the plurality of identified listed vehicles has the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test; and j) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle under test, excluding any one or more service mode requests associated with the identified listed vehicle having the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein, when the vehicle under test and a plurality of identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: k) determining which of the plurality of identified listed vehicles has the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test; and 1) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle under test, excluding any one or more service mode request portions associated with the identified listed vehicle having the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test.

15. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein steps a), c), d) and f) are implemented in the data acquisition device.

16. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein step is implemented in a device located remote from the data acquisition device.

17. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the memory unit further includes a listing of one or more service mode request portions associated with a malfunction of any of the listed vehicles, and wherein, when the vehicle under test and at least one of the identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: m) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle, excluding any one or more service mode request portions associated with the at least one of the identified listed vehicles.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein, when the vehicle under test and a plurality of identified listed vehicles have one or more in common characteristic features, the method further comprises: n) determining which of the plurality of identified listed vehicles has the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test; and o) communicating one or more additional service mode requests to the vehicle under test, excluding any one or more service mode requests associated with the identified listed vehicle having the greatest number of characteristic features in common with the vehicle under test.

19. A method of accessing information from an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle under test, in a manner to avoid vehicle malfunctions associated with accessing information in the ECU of diesel engine vehicles, the method comprising: a) communicating a plurality of linking queries to the ECU, in a plurality of protocols, to identify a vehicle under test information request protocol; b) storing, in a memory unit, a listing of service mode requests and service mode request portions associated with malfunctions in at least one diesel engine vehicle; c) communicating at least one service mode request to the ECU, in the vehicle under test information request protocol, excluding each service mode request and service mode request portion associated with a malfunction in the at least one diesel engine vehicle; and d) receiving information from the ECU, in response to the at least one service mode request, and extracting therefrom vehicle characteristic information indicating if the vehicle under test is a diesel engine vehicle, and if an engine of the diesel engine vehicle is currently running; e) wherein, when the vehicle under test is a diesel engine vehicle, and the engine is currently running, communicating at least one additional service mode request to the vehicle under test, excluding any service mode request and service mode request portion associated with a malfunction in the diesel engine vehicle.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein, when the vehicle under test is not a diesel engine vehicle, or when the engine is not running, the method further comprises: f) communicating any previously excluded service mode requests and service mode request portions to the vehicle under test.